An evening to learn about York County, Pa.’s, ‘Civil Rights Heroes – Barrier Breakers’
The Rev. Thomas Montouth, seen here in a photograph from 1946, and Dr. George Bowles, were leaders in York, Pa.’s, black community in the first 50 years of the 20th century. The Rev. Montouth pastored the now-demolished Faith Presbyterian Church on North Duke Street. The pastor and physician are among 18 community members shown on the mural: “Civil Rights Heroes — Barrier Breakers.” Also of interest: All black history posts from the start and All Underground Railroad posts from the start and 20 questions and answers to prove your York County, Pa., smarts.
The three-panel Civil Rights Heroes mural, an exhibit that has traveled around the community for five years, will serve as the backdrop for an evening designed to inform visitors about the York, Pa., community.
A panel of achievers from the 300 block of West Princess Street will begin and end the evening. That predominantly black neighborhood will provide a sense of place in discussion about growing up in York in the mid-20th century
The panel will bracket a presentation by York City Human Relations exec Stephanie Sechrist about the mural. The colorful panels were created in 2005 by Bradley Academy graphics design instructor Brett Greiman, with assistance from his students.
Here is information about the evening followed by a brief quiz about one of the neighborhood’s notable figures:
What: “Reflections of Greatness,
a Journey Through West Princess
Street.”
When: 5 p.m. Saturday. Free event.
Where: York County Heritage
Trust Historical Society Museum,
250 E. Market St., York. A light
reception will follow.
Panelists: Marie White Bell, state Superi´
or Court Judge in New Jersey, and
Dr. Dorothy King, professor at Penn
State Harrisburg, and Dr. Julia Hines-
Harris, longtime York City Schools
educator, will be among the “Reflec´
tions of Greatness” panelists.
Moderators: York community leader Michael
Newsome and I will moderate the
panel, which is part of Black History
Month and York County Heritage
Trust’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
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York City Human Relations Ex´
ecutive Director Stephanie Seaton
will explain the mural, “Civil Rights
Heroes — Barrier Breakers.”
The three-panel, traveling mural is
on display in the York County Heri´
tage Trust’s Historical Society
Museum meeting room, where the
event will take place.
Multiple choice quiz
Question: Who was Aunt
Jo and why was a city street,
Aunt Jo Lane, named for her
in 1980?
A: She operated a bakery
and often gave children spe´
cial discounts on doughnuts.
B: She took in homeless
children, and they called her
Aunt Jo.
C: A Girl Scout leader for
years, she was loved by the
children in her neighborhood.
D: She gave free music
lessons to gifted children.
To find the answer and to take a full quiz about black history in York County, click here.
